Pope Leo prays for those affected by gas explosion in Rome
The explosion of a gas station in Rome (ANSA)
VATICAN: Pope Leo XIV offered his prayers for everyone involved in an explosion at a gas station in eastern Rome in a post in Italian on his X account (@Pontifex_it).
Over 20 people were injured, including nine police officers, a firefighter, and a first responder, in the incident that occurred shortly after 8:15 AM on Friday, July 4.
'I pray for the people involved in the explosion at a gas station this morning in the Prenestino Labicano district, in the heart of my Diocese,' the Pope's post on X said. 'I continue to follow with concern the developments of this tragic incident.'
The blast was heard in various neighborhoods across the city, and a large cloud of smoke was seen rising in the sky.
The Pope reached out via social media to express concern and solidarity for his diocese, especially to the residents of the neighborhood affected.
Five people were transported to the hospital
According to preliminary reports from Rome's fire department, the explosion was allegedly caused by the detachment of a pipeline from a fuel tanker that was refilling the station.
However, emergency services are still trying to determine the exact cause of the accident. The mayor, Roberto Gualtieri, travelled to the area to assess the situation.
Firefighters were apparently already on the scene, as they were responding to a fire when the explosion occurred, injuring the emergency responders and damaging nearby buildings.
At present, five people have apparently been transported to the hospital with minor burns and injuries from the glass blast. No one appears to be in life-threatening condition at the moment.
A sports center nearby, Polisportiva Villa De Sanctis, which hosts a summer camp for children, was heavily damaged but luckily had been evacuated before the blast.
"If it had happened an hour later, it would have been a massacre', the president of the center, Fabio Balzani, said. 'There would have been the 60 children from the summer center, us coordinators, and 120 people who booked the pool. The sports center is damaged; it looks like a battlefield."--Vatican News
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